Defense Stands Tall as WPU Advances to Finals
Oskaloosa–While the William Penn women’s basketball team was pretty sure it was going to be making a trip out to the Rocky Mountains in the upcoming days, all doubt was removed Friday as it defeated #3 seed Clarke 71-55 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference Semifinals.
The second-seeded Statesmen (25-6), courtesy of its win and the win by Central Methodist in Friday’s other semifinal, locks up one of the Heart’s two automatic berths. The two squads will now face off for the third time this season, meeting Monday in Fayette, Mo. in the Heart Finals at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN3. WPU won in Missouri 62-60 in overtime on January 15, but the Eagles returned the favor on February 19 with a 68-57 victory in Oskaloosa
The hosts took the season series over the Pride 2-1 by limiting them to just 33.3% from the field, while making 45.1% themselves.
William Penn led for almost the entire evening with their last deficit coming late in the first quarter at 8-7. Makenzie Pezley (Sr., Keokuk, Iowa, Elementary Education) connected on a three-pointer just moments later and the Statesmen never trailed again.
The advantage grew to as large as eight in the second period before WPU settled for a six-point halftime edge at 33-27.
A tight battle going down to the wire was certainly a possibility, but the Statesmen refused to let CU threaten in the second half. Extending the margin to eight after three stanzas, the home crew dominated down the stretch to qualify for its third-consecutive championship game appearance (WPU and CMU also met two years ago).
Clarke (25-7) had more than enough opportunities to keep the game close as it outrebounded WPU 39-35, including an 18-9 mark in offensive boards. Fortunately, the Statesmen kept the pressure on and only permitted the Pride to claim the second-chance points battle by an 11-6 tally.
Two nights after posting a career-high 28 points, Brenda Pennington (Sr., Hammond, Ind., Psychology) played more the role of facilitator Friday. The senior had no points at the break (just two attempts), but her teammates filled her scoring shoes. Haley Mullinnix (Jr., West Branch, Iowa, Sports Management) and Kate Ylitalo (Sr., Maple Plain, Minn., Biology) each had eight points at intermission and both tacked on seven more after the break to pace the Statesmen with 15 points.
The duo was strong from deep as Ylitalo made four three-pointers and Mullinnix drained three more; overall, William Penn shot 50.0% (11-for-22).
Pennington eventually warmed up to the idea of shooting and hit double figures with 10 points. The senior topped the victors in assists (7) and rebounds (6) as well. She channeled her inner Ray Kinsella (reference: Field of Dreams) and went the distance, playing all 40 minutes of Friday’s win. Head Coach Steve Williamson kept to that trend, sending just eight individuals onto the hardwood.
Bailey Reardon (Fr., River Falls, Wis., Elementary Education) matched Pennington with 10 points to lead the bench in scoring, while Pezley and Olivia Usher (Sr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Mathematics) added six points apiece. Reardon was also exceptional on the defensive end, posting three blocks. William Penn forced 16 turnovers, while committing 13 on its own. That resulted in a small 10-8 advantage for WPU in points off mistakes.
Brittany West (Jr., Shakopee, Minn., Sports Management) was good for five more, while Autumn Voigt (Sr., Clintonville, Wis., Business Management) finished with four.
William Penn was better at the charity stripe as well, going 14-for-21, compared to a 9-for-15 performance for Clarke.
“I cannot say enough about this team,” Williamson said. “We were extremely balanced tonight; so many players stepped up and made big plays. Our bench was also awesome.”
“What a great atmosphere for our team to play in,” Williamson added. “With the student body on break, the community support was huge; we really appreciate them coming out tonight.”
